Thursday, May 16, 2013

Norwegian company could put bendable mobiles within reach.



Norwegian Graphite is to conduct test drilling in to northern Norwegian mines in the hunt for more graphite. This could be used for a substance called graphene, hundreds of times stronger than steel and flexible. The hunt for graphite is on in the Sortland and Meløy municipalities in northern Norway, NRK reports. There has been little industrial activity in the Meløy after its mine was closed down in 1980. The last period, in which mica was produced for just 10 years in the ’70s, was a mere interlude compared to the heyday of mining in the region between 1932 and 1945.


Norwegian Graphite now has started its test drilling due to the discovery of the new substance called graphene.

Finland a Pionner in Sustainable Extractive Industries.



Finland is one of the leading mining countries in Europe. Now, Finland wants to move a step further and become the leading sustainable mining country in the world. “Action Plan for Development of Sustainable Extractive Industries” was published on April 29th 2013.
Finnish companies have made great progress in mining technology. On the other hand, we have seen that mining can cause environmental and social impacts. Few but significant environmental failures have overshadowed the success.  Of all the nations, we should know that systematic work is needed to achieve mining industry that is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.


Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Mining Makes Your Life Possible


Whether it's your bicycle or cellphone, life as you know it would not exist without minerals. 

So, you're parking both the family car and the transit pass, biking to work instead and feeling a tad righteous about helping British Columbia wean itself from its dirty addiction to the mining industry and the minerals it extracts. Say thanks to a coal miner for the privilege. And don't forget the hardrock miner. Not to mention the smelter crew and the roughneck yanking pipe on some frigid drill rig. 

Oh, and say thanks to the trucker hauling canisters of molybdenum, titanium or tungsten concentrate or the geologist staking gold, silver or rare earths deposits. 

Without them and the industries that employ them, you'd be walking, not biking. Bicycles, unless you ride one you made yourself from bamboo, lashings of hemp and dried banana peels, is entirely manufactured from materials obtained by mining - steel processed by burning metallurgical coal, perhaps lightened by adding specialized metals like titanium; plastic and synthetic rubber obtained from petroleum products.